Two Souls Are Better Than One
by Whisper Gypsy
Summary: At the battle of Hogwarts, after Nagini's attack, Professor Snape didn't exactly die; his soul moved into Hermione's body instead—since her fingers were stemming the blood flow at his throat. His knowledge and wisdom will help her to survive the Final Battle, but what else lies in store for these two? Are two souls really better than one?
1. Prologue: Point of No Return

A/N: The one thing you cannot kill is an idea, once it has gotten hold of a mind, willing or not.

Disclaimer: Not even the font is mine.

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Prologue: The Point of No Return

Hermione's fingers were slick with red, pulsing blood. She pressed more firmly against the severed veins and arteries of her Professor's mangled neck. She prayed fervently that he would survive, that she would not feel the weight of another soul's premature ending leadening her own. She glanced into his dark eyes, as his bone white fingers traced the memories as Harry siphoned them from the Potions Master. She might have imagined it, but as she glanced into his tired eyes, she saw a door of sorts slide gently open. But then she blinked, and Ron and Harry were tearing her arms away from the body, whispering "He's dead. Death Eaters are coming," and "Come on, Mione! We've got to get out of here!"

She ran on autopilot, following her boys from the bowels of danger and into certain death. Pulled onward by the tugging of Ronald's hand, Hermione tumbled head over hand and knee over foot as they ran back to the enchanted castle that was missing several vital stones and students. But Hermione felt none of the jerks, as she was trapped within her mind, warring with the foreign presence there.

For Severus Tobias Snape's body was dead to be sure. His mind, however, was an altogether separate story.

His mind and soul now cohabited with the mind and soul of the 'Brightest Witch of Her Age' within the body of Hermione Jane Granger.

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E/N: I have made some of the changes reccomended to me by schrodingers cat 13. Thank you, for all your help!


	2. Chapter One: Liminal

Liminal

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A/N: This Chapter is dedicated to Schrodingers cat 13, LK-HoGwArTs-hEaDgIrL, and the elusive Moi, my first reviewers. Thank you all for your responses, and attention to my fic!  
I am trying to not confuse anyone, so I will try to specify Severus' thoughts from Hermione's. This chapter will be entirely from Hermione's POV, if that helps. Yes, it is a short chapter, but the first few will be short; please bear with me.

Disclaimer: All of the following is the mental and legal property of the lauded JK Rowling.

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In Auror and Mediwizard Kurt Blasinger's Unlocking the Mind Through Legimency and Occulemency, there had been two whole chapters, Seven and Thirteen incidentally, which dealt with the go-between principle. Chapter Seven focused more on the—pardon the term—"physics" of the phenomena, wherein once a door has been opened between two minds, it can then be entered from either side. Chapter thirteen, Hermione recalled as her legs moved her closer and closer to the sounds of pain and loss that shrouded her onetime solace of peace, dealt with a much darker element of Legimency and Occlumency: Blasinger theorized that a truly skilled Legimens and Occlumens could not only enter any mind at will, but could join their mind—and perhaps even their soul—to another. Now, the two souls and minds must have much in common—"high compatibility" was the phrase from the text which swam before her unseeing eyes. But, Blasinger had been quick to warn that even if the physical form of the Occlumens was dead, the "transfer" or "joining" might not be permanent.

Hermione clung to that single shred of sanity as she mentally curled in on herself, allowing the Professor who had murdered her Headmaster to take control of her mind. Even as she thought it, a small voice corrected her, _Albus ordered me to_. But as it wasn't an apology, she ignored it.

She watched the events of the battle following Harry's heroic 'death' as though it was in a film and she wasn't really there. Her body dodged spells with new agility, twisting and shouting counter-curses or hexes she had never read about before. That thought startled her mind into activity immediately and she curled tightly into a ball, ducking the stunner and deep purple hex two death eaters sent her way at once.

She fell into her habitual fighting stance, pausing to scan the area before launching an assault with the nearby Luna against the three nearest death eaters. The battle flew by in a blur. Hermione wasn't fully certain she had been in charge of her own body the whole time, but as it kept her alive and she figured that she and her guest had not discussed any rules regarding cohabitation, she could allow the misstep. Extenuating circumstances, after all.

It wasn't until the aftermath, as the dust settled, and the dead were tallied, that panic fully set in.

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Please review.


	3. Chapter Two: Avoiding Healing

A/N: Sorry for the gaping delay, but here is an update, at long last. Cheers. Please leave a review!

Disclaimer: This does not belong to me. So everything else had better.

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Chapter Two: Avoiding Healing

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Madame Pomfrey was waving the trio over to have a health scan and to be checked for any linger dark curses. _Do not let her scan you, girl. They'll not find me, but she'll know something is off about your mind when she reads that your body is trying to support two lives. Do not let her scan you._ Hermione shuddered at the dulcet voice as it resonated through her mind, but agreed with him.

_That won't be a problem. But what are we going to do. You can't live in my head forever. My body will die trying to keep the both of us alive. How long do we have to find a remedy?_

_A remedy? What does that make me, some disease you acquired? How plebian of you, Miss Granger. We have three days at the most. Three hours at the least. Leave the others and make your way down to the dungeons; we have to brew a potion in my laboratory. Hurry._

As the silky mental voice of her late Headmaster faded into the recesses of her consciousness, Hermione walked with her boys over to Madame Pomfrey. "Alright now dears, let me just scan you." The elderly matron lifted her wand and began scanning the clearly bleeding Ron.

"I've got to pop down to the ladies', I'll only be a few moments," Hermione said softly, pulling away from the starch white hospital bed Ron had hopped onto.

Madame Pomfrey glanced at her solemnly, but nodded, as though understanding anyone's desire to get away from everything for a bit. "Alright then. Just remember to come and see me, Miss Granger. That's an order."

"Yes, Ma'am." And with that, Hermione Granger slipped away from the carnage and the mending.

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The dungeons appeared even more desolate, perhaps with Professor Snape's fond memories of them pumping through her mind, and his mind analyzing their singed state, that colored her opinion of the situation. But they were definitely colder.

With a small sigh, she thoguht, _Alright, Professor Snape, where to now?_

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E/N: I hope to make the next chapter much longer. We shall see. Please review: constant, short updates, or less frequent, longer ones?


	4. Chapter Three: The Only Slytherin with a

A/N: Thanks so much for all the reviews, favorites and attention this fic has gotten. I hope you all enjoy where I'm going with this.

Disclaimer: Severus is mine on Tuesdays, Hermione is mine every third Saturday, and potions labs of my imagination are always mine.

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Chapter Three: The Only Slytherin with a Corporeal Patronus

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_Turn left,_ he answered. Her echoing steps felt heavier than they ever had as she sidestepped rubble, bodies, blood, and ashes without looking at anything too closely. Her heart seemed twice as loud too, but maybe that was the deep quiet of the empty chambers she entered; no passwords were needed in this new Hogwarts, where portraits had been torn down and burned, where no more secrets seemed left to tell, where everyone suffered loss, where everyone had died inside.

"Back room, I assume?" she asked, more out of politeness than from lack of knowing, his thoughts were honest beside hers, unable to hide anything. She stepped through the oval doorway, shivering at the tingle of the fading ward leeching away from the portal.

The room wasn't decorated in the blacks or deep purples she had expected. There was a green candle burning on a workbench made of a deep cherry wood. All the shelves, stocked to overflowing with ingredients or completed potions, were made of the same red wood. A single gold frame hung on the wall overlooking his workstation. Locked within wards that still shone blue around the pair wrapped inside—how strong were wards that still stood when Hogwarts herself had crumbled around them?—were a pair of children, holding hands in a grass field, looking at one another silently. _Lily,_ came the answer before she even thought the question. _And me. Before Hogwarts. Before prejudice._

_But not before pain,_ Hermione whispered, snaking her mind away from the barrage of images that flashed through his—fire and alcohol, foul breath and bruises. Weeping, hiding, and running. Lily had been the brightest light in all his days; no wonder he put her life and legacy above his own, even now.

"So, where do we start?"

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The table had been cleared, all in-progress potions disposed of or put in stasis according to Professor Snape's direction. She then pulled the jar of mistletoe oil and a rag. Working down from the north to the south, she worked the oil into the grain of the wood until it shone. Once her highly vocal mental mentor was satisfied, she put the oil and rag away and pulled out a silver cauldron stand.

"Now, which cauldron should I use for the first potion? I see a silver, two coppers, and one pewter."

_Turn around._ Hermione complied silently, reminding herself mentally of her promise not to question his orders until he was out of her head. _Always knew you were the brightest witch of your age._ Hermione smirked. _ Really,_ his voice sighed._ Did Black really say those exact words? Never mind. Cupboard in the corner. Ought to still be sealed. Blow your breath into the keyhole. Since I'm here in your body too, it should work. If it doesn't, your Protego, quick as you are, ought to be sufficient._

Hermione nodded her head, pulled her wand from its holster in her sleeve and moved closer to the lone cupboard, built into the corner of the dungeon. Her eyes traced the floral designs worked into the wood: lilies, every kind of lily, calla lily, tiger lily, Easter lily, all growing and waving in an intangible breeze. The keyhole was made of gold, in the shape of a peony. "A peony? She asked, leaning forward to breath into it.

_Her favorite flower. The lilies were for me. The peony was for her._

"She was always the way to you, wasn't she?" But Hermione didn't pause to listen for his mind's answer, already sure of it, and blew gently into the keyhole.

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E/N: I hope you all enjoyed this! Please review. More coming soon. I had originally planned for this to be about 5 chapters, but I'm thinking it may stretch into 7 now. Not counting a potential epilogue. Anyhow, please let me know what you think!


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